User blog:SetRobOff/All Four One, One Four All: Chapter Five
Chapter Four for those who missed it: http://degrassi.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:SetRobOff/All_Four_One,_One_Four_All:_Chapter_Four A Glimpse Into The Zig's Past One Year Ago Zig Novak, a few months shy of age seventeen, took his time putting his clothes back on. His body was worn out but his mind was in the heavens and his lips couldn't stop smiling if he tried. What transpired on this night, and with whom, was unforgettable to say the least. Something intensely intimate took place between himself and his closest female friend. It was a line that neither of them ever should have crossed for many reasons; but to Zig, every second of every kiss, every touch and every stroke was worth any inevitable consequence. Come what may, Zig thought he did what felt right with whom he believed was the right person. Marla Salisbury, however, stood still and silent in front of the bedroom window, watching a gentle downpour of snow fall all over the city of Thunder Bay on this cold January night. She clutched the fuzzy purple bathrobe around her slim, nude body and uttered a sigh at one point but otherwise, kept quiet. It was clear by her body language or lack of, that what just happened between her and Zig had a different effect on her than it did on him, after the fact. ZIG: Marla? Still facing the window, the short, petite blonde didn't respond. ZIG: Marla? MARLA: Yes? ZIG: I had a really great time. Marla didn't say a word, which puzzled him. ZIG: You alright? MARLA:(sighs) What do you think? ZIG: I think you should have let me hold you afterwards. (Laughs lightly). And it would have been nice if I didn't have ''to leave tonight. MARLA: It's not snowing that hard. You'll survive. Zig's smile faded and his face turned serious. ZIG: Okay, Marla; what's going on? Yet again, Marla said nothing. ZIG: Marla, look at me! After a few agonizing seconds, Marla slowly turned around and looked at Zig. Her big, hazel eyes glistened with tears. Zig took a couple of steps towards her to embrace her but she gently pushed him away. ZIG: Marla, what's wrong? What did I do? MARLA:(shakes her head) Nothing. Nothing at all. It's me. It's all me. I screwed up....like always. ZIG: Marla....babe, no, you never---" MARLA: Stop it, please. Don't call me that. Zig took a step back; his facial expression showed the hurt and confusion that he felt at his friends unusual coldness. MARLA: You know exactly how I screwed up and I don't even want to talk about. I'm too ashamed. So, please, just go. ZIG:(grows heated) So, this is about CAMERON?! Fuck that, Marla. You broke up with him! What is there to be ashamed or feel guilty about? MARLA:(emotionally loud) I still love him! ZIG:(sarcastcally angry) Yeah. Fine fucking time to tell me that. MARLA: Zig, I never once told you that I didn't still love him! We only broke up a few days ago! ZIG: Yeah but I've spent the past few ''weeks ''listening to you cry about how he pays you no attention, how you don't feel loved or appreciated! And what did I do? I told you you deserved better! Marla bit down on her lower lip and let a few tears roll down her face. Zig wasn't sure if it was his words that were getting to her but he hoped it was. He reached out his hand, touched her face and wiped a tear away with his thumb. ZIG: Marla, you deserve me. I deserve you. ''I love you. ''How could I not love you? How could you think you're a screw up in any way? Because of you, I have money in my pocket, food to eat, a steady place to stay and a way to support myself at sixteen. You and Tiny didn't even know me for a whole hour before you asked me to run away with you guys from Toronto all the way here to Thunder Bay where you found your aunt. I owe everything I have to Tiny, your Aunt Connie, Nite-Lite and most of all....YOU. You saved my life, Marla, and I'll never stop loving you for what you did. I make no apology for that. Gently but firmly holding the sides of Marla's face, Zig pressed his lips against hers. She reluctantly kissed him back for a few seconds until she felt his tongue slip inside of her mouth, at which point, she pulled herself away. MARLA:(crying) Zig, no, just stop! I didn't save your life; I ruined it. Tiny and I had our own problems. We ran away from that horrible group home we were in and we dragged you into our mess. Unlike Tiny and I, you had your REAL parents and they LOVED you! I took that away from you by taking you to some strange city and allowing you to sign your young life away by selling drugs for my aunt's crooked boyfriend. That was like selling your soul to SATAN HIMSELF! Nite-Lite is no savior and neither am I. I screwed up your life....and for that, I am so sorry. ZIG: Marla, that's bullshit. Leaving Toronto with you and Tiny was the best choice I ever made. Say what you want about my parents "loving me so much" but when I was there, I had nothing. Not just material shit. My parents could hardly afford to feed me, clothe me or house me. I went to bed many nights hungry as shit, I went to school being bullied for wearing cheap shit or the same shit and worst of all, we've been evicted from TWO different apartments because they were so poor. When I dropped out of Degrassi and came to Thunder Bay with you and started working for Nite-Lite, I sent money back home for my parents but....(gets choked up) those ungrateful pieces of shit disowned me because I started selling crack. You, Tiny, Connie, Nite-Lite and the gang is the only family I have now, Marla! What else do I have to say or do to get you understand why I love you the way that I do?! MARLA: You say the gang is your family. Well, isn't Cameron a part of that gang? He's supposed to be your friend....and he's the love of my life. I know I talked your ear off about how unloved he made me feel but those were just my own securities. I know in my heart that Cam loves me. You know how shy and reserved he is. You should have seen the look on his face when I broke up with him; it tore me up. ZIG: How the hell is he the love of your life?! You've only known him since last summer, Marla! MARLA: So? I've only known ''you since last summer! Three days before I met Cameron! So, if he can't be the love of my life then neither can you. Cam and I dated practically as soon as we met. We were each other's first....virginty loss and all. You and I just fucked for the first time tonight. And I'm sorry but that can never happen again. Ever. ZIG: It doesn't matter! I've loved you just as long as he did! MARLA: But I don't love you! Not like that! Cameron is the one I'm IN LOVE with. Don't you understand?! Zig, I love you the same way I love Tiny. Like a friend, maybe even a brother. That is why what we did in that bed tonight makes me ill just thinking about it. ZIG:(disappointed) Well, that was my ''first time. You know that. MARLA: Zig, I'm sorry. I really am. But what did I tell you? I'm a screw-up. I ruin everything. Zig got quiet but the look on his face said enough. He felt hurt, angry, betrayed and defeated all at once. Marla dried away some more oncoming tears and exhaled. Zig was her friend and it pained her to hurt him this way but she simply couldn't help who her heart belonged to. Cameron meant the world to her; he was her first and only love. MARLA: Zig, I never should have allowed this to happen. I never imagined that you and I, of all people, would cross that line. If I have to, I will accept all of the blame but I need to make this right. The only way I can do that is if we just stay friends and nothing more. Your friendship is just as important to me as my relationship with Cameron. Please, don't let what happened ruin it and please don't make me choose. ZIG: It seems like you already have. Without another word, Zig simply left out of the door and grabbed his coat on the way out. It appeared as though he was able and willing to accept this painful rejection but unfortunately, all parties involved would sooner discover that it was far much easier said than done. Two months have passed and unsurprisingly, Marla and Cameron have reconciled, much to Zig's dismay. The beginning of spring brought about new growth, slightly warmer weather and love in the air for all that lived and breathed. For Cameron and Marla, it was no exception; they were back together stronger than ever. Cameron Everson was twenty years old, three years older than Marla and Zig. Judging by his round, babyface features, modest height of 5'5, soft brown hair and blue, puppydog eyes, he appeared a lot younger than he really was. He was quiet, passive and docile in nature...usually. It would be a wonder to many people how someone like him would end up in the dark, unforgiving drug-dealing culture. He certainly didn't fit one's expectations of a bona fide gangster. The only sensible explanation for how got caught up in such criminal activity was based on the fact that, like Zig, Tiny and Marla, he came from extreme poverty and a broken home. Cameron has been selling crack-cocaine for Nite-Lite since the tender age of fifteen. The gang was the closest thing to a family that he's ever had and even then, he didn't always feel as though he belonged. Due to his short build and his timid nature, he was often a target for ridicule, hazing and taunting by the rest of the gang. The only "good" that came from this was that it was nothing compared to the mental and physical abuse he suffered throughout his childhood. When Marla came into Cameron's life, however, it was the only time he's ever known any happiness. Despite being a few years older than her, she was just as much his first in every aspect as he was hers. First kiss. First love. First sexual partner. Marla was instantly drawn to Cameron and the love she showed him was hard to process. Although Cameron loved her just as deeply, he didn't always know how to express it because no one has ever shown him any before. It pushed Marla away at one point, which led to that rebound one-night love affair with Zig, but it only brought them back closer. Marla even had enough integrity to confess to Cameron that she slept with Zig while they were broken up. He took it shockingly well; Zig, however, felt a stab of jealousy every time he even saw Cameron and Marla beside each other. Over time, his resentment only grew stronger. One night, the gang was having a house party at Nite-Lite's large, two-story home with loud rap music blaring, chatting, food, alcohol and marijuana. The hosts were the gang-leader, Nite-Lite, and his long-time girlfriend, whom was three-months pregnant with their first child. Alonzo "Nite-Lite" Calhoun was a tall, bald, husky, African-Canadian man in his late-thirties. His most distinctive features, however, were his eyes. One was a dark brown(almost black) color while the other was a pale gray color; like night and day, hence the name, "Nite-Lite". With an extensive criminal record and the sinister mind of a dictator, he was every bit as intimidating as he looked. He had so much mental and psychological power over all of the teen/young adult boys in his gang: Jallil, Darren, Dwayne, Cameron, Zig and Tiny. Even Nite-Lite's bodyguard nicknamed "Bear", all of seven-feet and four hundred pounds, was inferior to the reign of Nite-Lite. Connie Salisbury, a short and stoute blonde in her mid-thirties was a fairly demure and quiet woman. Connie was the only sister of Marla's mother, who died from a drug overdose when Marla was only six. Having been estranged from her sister long before her death, Connie lost her niece in the foster care system. Last summer, after searching her name and address on the internet at the library, Marla surprised her aunt with an unexpected visit. Connie welcomed her, Tiny and Zig with open arms. However, knowing the manipulative tyrant that she was pregnant by, Connie secretly feared that she's brought more harm than help to these innocent teenagers. After all, she was a victim and trapped in this world herself; she couldn't leave Nite-Lite if she tried. As the party carried on, Marla and Cameron were rarely seen apart throughout the night. Caught up in their own world, they talked, laughed, held hands and cuddled the entire time. It was if they were deaf to all of the noise from the party, for all they cared to hear or see was each other. Standing from a distance, Zig sipped his fourth bottle of Corona and glared coldly at the pair. Tiny, who was more drunk than Zig was, ironically still had enough judgment and sense to try and reason with his best friend. TINY:(slurring) Bruuuuuhh, you-you gots to calm the fuck down, yo. I gots to keep it G with you. Marla already told you she ain't feelin' you like that. You need to accept that and move on, son. On some real shit. ZIG: Tiny, sit the fuck down. I don't need your drunk ass two cents right now. TINY:(shrugging) Whatever, my nigga. I'mma...I'mma....I'mma go to the bathroom.... As Tiny staggered towards the bathroom, Zig cast one last wicked glance in Marla's direction and then walked away, exiting out the backdoor. Cameron noticed that something was bothering Zig, so he decided to get to the bottom of it; although he already had a clue. CAMERON: I'll be back, babe. MARLA:(smiling) Okay. Cameron kissed her on the cheek, stood up from the sofa and walked towards the backdoor. Zig was leaning against a small tree in the backyard, drinking the rest of his beer. He pretended not to notice Cameron walking towards him. CAMERON:(straight to the point) Look Zig, I know you're upset, I know you met Marla first and I know how you feel about her. I get it. She's fucking amazing. But you have to understand and respect that she wants to be with me. I didn't freak out in the slightest when she told me what the two of you did two months ago. I swallowed my pride; I think you should do the same. No disrespect. Let's be men about this. We're a team. Cameron reached out for a handshake but Zig refused. ZIG:(shakes his head) We may hustle together but that doesn't mean we're friends. I'm not gonna pretend like I give a fuck about you, Cam, because I don't. You're a little fucking weirdo, nobody likes you and I don't have to "respect" anything. Seriously, just....fuck off. CAMERON: Fine. You're drunk; so I won't bother. Hopefully, maybe you'll apologize tomorrow. If not, that's fine too. I tried... He attempted to walk away from the conflict but Zig angrily smashed his beer bottle against the tree. The startling sound of glass breaking caused Cameron to turn around to face him again. ZIG:(in a drunken fury) Who the fuck do you think you are?! CAMERON: I think---no, I KNOW that I'm the one Marla wants. Look Zig, I'm trying to walk away. So, please don't piss me off. I'm done here. ZIG:(with a devilish smile) Marla may "want" you for now but it's only a matter of time before she realizes whose better for her. Cameron could feel his face heating up but he used every ounce of strength in him not to explode. ZIG:(boldly gets in his face) And the next time I fuck her, you'll never---" Before Zig could finish his sentence, Cameron lost control, hauled off and struck him in the jaw with his fist. Zig stumbled but caught his balance before he fell to the ground. CAMERON:(puts his fists up) Let's go, motherfucker! Right now! Zig and Cameron squared up like professional boxers; the former came at the latter on the offense. Zig threw a right hook, left hook, straight jab and left hook again. Cameron blocked or dodged most of them but the last punch Zig threw caught him on the side of the face. Recovering almost instantly, Cameron hit Zig with another vicious punch to the face followed by another and another. The two ferociously grappled, wrestled, boxed and rolled around in the grass, all the while calling each other every foul name imaginable. All of the commotion drew the attention of the other gang members. Bear, Darren, Dwayne, Jallil and a very intoxicated Tiny, who could barely walk much less run, bolted into the yard towards Zig and Cameron. Bear reached them first; it took no effort at all for the enormous man to pull the fighting boys apart, even though they both still tried to get at each other. BEAR:(in his raspy voice) Ya'll better calm the fuck down! Zig and Cameron immediately took heed to Bear's warning but it didn't stop them from staring each other down with a mutual contempt and rage. While Cameron only ended up with a small bloody cut near his eyebrow, Zig was bleeding from both nostrils and had a swollen, bruised eye. Soon after, Nite-Lite appeared outside. NITE-LITE: What the fuck was all this about? ZIG: Cameron's a fucking psycho little pussy! That's what. CAMERON: Fuck you, Zig. You were asking for that ass-kicking and I gave it to you. So, shut the fuck up. Having made his point, Cameron began walking towards the house with nothing else to add. ZIG: No, FUCK YOU! You're fucking pathetic! That's why you're the fucking laugh stock of the whole gang! You have no purpose with us! You're a BITCH! Go the fuck away! Cameron stopped in his tracks. He couldn't hide his wounded feelings even if he tried, which only made the gang laugh at him harder and fuel Zig's brutal verbal assault. ZIG: What?! You're gonna hit me again, bitch! I dare you! You're still a fucking pussy! And keep thinking Marla loves your worthless ass. You're delusional. She just feels sorry for you. One day, she's not going to give a shit anymore. Nobody wants to babysit a twenty-year old fucking reject forever. Do you hear me, you little looney BITCH? At that moment, it was as if the weight of the entire planet came crashing down on Cameron's already fragile heart, mind and soul. Tears brimming in his eyes, he didn't dare look back. CAMERON: I'm out of here. ZIG:(mimicks him a high-pitched voice) I'm out of here. The gang burst into laughter yet again. Tiny didn't dislike Cameron quite as much as the others did but he couldn't help but laugh at what he thought was a spot-on imitation of Cameron's voice and demeanor. ZIG: Good! Get the fuck out of here! And don't fucking come back! Cameron went back inside of the house without another word. NITE-LITE: Alright, quiet down. Enough of this soap opera shit. (Turns to Zig) Look kid, you know I got love for you; you ain't no punk like Cameron. But at the end of the day, Cameron is one of my top money-makers. Believe me, I don't keep him around for my health. At the end of the day, it's cash over conflict and business over bitches. Speaking of bitches, I don't give a damn if Marla is my girlfriend's niece. Hoes are hoes and real niggas don't let hoes bring them to their knees. So, if you ask me, you're not playing the game any smarter than Cam is right now. But unlike Cam, I see more potential in you. All of ya'll are gonna stop letting this TV show drama get in the middle of business....MY business. You all better settle this bullshit real soon or I will. Understand? Zig sighed, nodded and said he understood. Nite-Lite smiled and pat Zig on the back before getting serious again. NITE-LITE: Alright everybody; party's over. Get in the house and help Connie clean the fuck up. I don't care who is drunk or who gets a hangover in the morning. All of ya'll are still getting your asses up for work. (Claps his hands twice) Let's go. Move it! Meanwhile, inside of the house, Cameron was still shaken up over the fight. Marla, who just came out of the bathroom, had no idea what just happened. However, when she saw the cut on his face, she grew alarmed. MARLA: Cam, what happened to you? Before he could answer, the gang all entered the house. Marla immediately noticed Zig's battered face. MARLA: Zig! Oh my God, what.... CAMERON: You're calling for HIM now?! You want HIM?! MARLA: Cam, calm down. Just talk to me, baby. What's wrong? Cameron pulled his car keys out of his coat pocket and walked towards the front door. MARLA:(grabbing his arm) No! You're drunk! You can't drive anywhere! CONNIE: I can drive you home. Cam, you can just come back early tomorrow for your car. (Turns to her boyfriend for permission) Alonzo, is that alright? NITE-LITE: Don't take too long getting back. Connie nodded; she put her coat on and led Cameron and Marla outside to her minivan. Nite-Lite took a seat on the Italian leather sofa and lit up a cigarette while the rest of the gang started throwing away beer bottles, wiping spills and sweeping the wooden floor. NITE-LITE:(points at the stereo) Turn that shit off. '''The second part to this chapter is NEXT. I'll post it as soon as I can, most likely LATE tonight. Be prepared.....' Category:Blog posts